Rory McIlroy Shows Rare Emotion as Shane Lowry Suffers a Crushing Collapse at U.S. Open

You know it’s been a rough week when Rory McIlroy’s biggest smile comes from watching his best friend make an amateur mistake. But that’s exactly what happened Friday at the U.S. Open’s most unforgiving venue.

Shane Lowry was enduring a complete mental breakdown at Oakmont. At +16 and completely out of contention, exhaustion was clearly taking its toll on the 2019 Open champion. On the 14th green, Lowry absent-mindedly picked up his ball without marking it first. The basic mistake earned him a one-stroke penalty.

His playing partner, Rory McIlroy, immediately saw the humor in the moment. Despite his own nightmare week, McIlroy couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s mental lapse. The two Irishmen have been close since their amateur days.

But McIlroy had plenty of his own problems. After completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters, his form had completely collapsed. He opened with a 4-over 74. Then Friday brought pure disaster. Two double bogeys in his first three holes sent him spiraling. Currently sitting at +7, he’s right on the projected cut line of +7. The frustration boiled over on the par-5 12th. After another poor approach shot, McIlroy launched his club down the fairway in disgust.

Sometimes golf’s cruelest moments produce its most human ones.

This is a developing story….

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